Your feedback makes a difference and helps improve services for homeless Veterans

Ending Veteran homelessness is a massive undertaking, one that involves understanding people, their stories and the unique challenges they face. While dedicated efforts within VA and communities across the country have made meaningful progress, we understand that programs and resources must continue to adapt and evolve as the needs of homeless Veterans change over time and differ from place to place.

Project CHALENG (Community Homelessness Assessment, Local Education and Networking Groups) is one of the ways VA identifies and listens to those needs. For more than 30 years, this initiative has brought together Veterans, providers and community partners to understand and respond to the evolving, real-world challenges faced by Veterans experiencing homelessness.

To learn directly from firsthand experiences, VA invites Veterans, providers and community stakeholders to complete the 2026 CHALENG survey and help identify local issues impacting homeless Veterans, pinpoint resource gaps and develop collaborative solutions. The survey is fully digital, confidential and takes only 5-10 minutes to complete, and the resulting feedback directly supports efforts to improve services and outcomes for Veterans experiencing homelessness.

Why your voice matters

Over the last three decades, feedback from the annual CHALENG survey has done more than collect data; it has helped build thousands of partnerships between VA and community agencies to better serve homeless Veterans. Community organizations also use CHALENG data to strengthen grant applications, further helping to expand and improve local resources available to serve homeless Veterans.

Data from the CHALENG survey has helped design, expand and shape programs and services for Veterans experiencing homelessness, including:

One of the most important components of the survey is a question that asks Veterans to identify the single most important resource needed to end or prevent their homelessness. Responses to this question provide critical insights that add context to the quantitative data collected and reveal how existing services can better meet the day-to-day needs of Veterans experiencing homelessness. Last year, nearly 1,500 Veterans completed the survey and helped identify the need for more support with expunging criminal records and assistance with fixing credit issues, among others.

View the results from previous years’ CHALENG surveys.

In addition to Veterans who are currently experiencing homelessness or who have previously experienced homelessness, employees from VA and other federal agencies, staff from state and local government, community-based homeless providers, and other stakeholders are strongly encouraged to take the survey.

Take the 2026 CHALENG survey today

The CHALENG survey doesn’t result in a national report that sits on a shelf; it directly supports local decision-making that helps communities improve and expand services for Veterans experiencing homelessness where they’re needed most.

Whether you are a Veteran who has used these services, a provider on the front lines or a community stakeholder, your voice matters and can make a difference for homeless Veterans. Your feedback helps shape new programs, inform funding and grant awards, and bring communities one step closer to ending Veteran homelessness.

Take the 2026 CHALENG survey today and help spread the word by inviting Veterans and providers in your network to do the same.

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